Before the Bihar Assembly elections, the rhetoric on the Waqf (Amendment) Act has further increased the political temperature. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav’s statement that ‘if the government is formed, we will throw the Waqf Board bill in the dustbin’ has given a new twist to the electoral equation of Seemanchal. Earlier, RJD’s MLC had also talked about abolishing the law in the presence of Tejashwi on Saturday.
Now Congress and Left parties have also come out openly in support of RJD on this issue, from which it is clearly visible that ‘Waqf’ is now becoming the new center of polarization in the politics of Bihar. There is discussion that a statement in support may also be issued by other parties of the Grand Alliance.
In fact, Tejashwi Yadav Addressing a public meeting in Katihar on Sunday, he said that in the Lalu-Rabri government, RSS and communal forces did not have the courage to step into Bihar. Taking aim at Nitish Kumar, he said that it was he who had done the work of giving place to BJP in Bihar. Tejashwi said, “If BJP is afraid of anyone, it is afraid of Lalu ji. If our government is formed, we will throw the Waqf Board bill in the dustbin.”
Tejashwi’s statement got support from Congress and Left parties
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After this statement of Tejashwi, the stir in the politics of Seemanchal has intensified. Congress MP Tariq Anwar supported his statement and said, “Be it RJD, Congress or the Grand Alliance, we all have opposed this bill inside and outside the Parliament. If the Grand Alliance government is formed in Bihar, then efforts will be made to stop this bill with all our might.”
Left parties have also supported RJD on this issue. CPI(ML) Liberation General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya said that if INDIA coalition government is formed, the Waqf Amendment Act will not be allowed to be implemented in Bihar. He said that this law is an attempt by the Center to interfere in the jurisdiction of the states and it is against the federal structure.
BJP hit back
On the other hand, BJP has termed the statements of Tejashwi Yadav and the leaders of the Grand Alliance as anti-constitutional. Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary said, “These people do not have the knowledge that no state government can decide not to implement a bill passed by the Parliament. Those who have four MPs are challenging the authority of the Parliament.”
Why is there controversy over Waqf bill?
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill passed in the Parliament by the Central Government contains many such provisions which Muslim organizations and opposition parties have described as an attempt by the government to control the Waqf properties. In this, sections like increasing the role of the state government in survey, management and disputes of Waqf properties as well as CBI investigation have been added. Opposition parties allege that this will end the autonomy of the Waqf Board and increase government control over the lands of religious institutions.
Impact on political mathematics in Seemanchal
Analysts say that the population of Muslim voters in Seemanchal districts Katihar, Kishanganj, Purnia and Araria is between 40 to 60 percent. This area witnessed the rise of AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi in the last elections, when the party spoiled the RJD-Congress equation by winning five seats. Tejashwi Yadav’s aggressive stance on the Waqf Bill is being seen as a strategy to weaken the Owaisi factor and re-unite the Muslim vote bank. After the support of Congress and Left parties, this issue now seems to be emerging as a common agenda of INDIA alliance.
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